Car-roof attachment



(No Model I W. P. SETTLES.

OAR ROOF ATTACHMENT.

No. 408.139. Patented July so, 1889.

N PETERS Phniolithcgmphcr, Washington, D. C-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM P. SETTLES, OF LA DUE, MISSOURI.

CAR-ROOF ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,139, dated July 30, 1889.

Application filed January 14, 1889. Serial No.296,328. (N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM P. SETTLES, of La Due, in the county of Henry and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Roofs; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-roofs; and it consists in the combination, with a freight-car and suitable guiding-castings, which are secured upon the roof at each end of the car, of narrow sections of roofing and spring-actuated supports, which allow the sections an endwise movement in a line with the length of the car, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The objects of my invention are to attach to each end of afreight-car at its top a narrow section of roofing, so that when two cars run together the sections of roofing will come together and bridge the opening between the ends of the cars, and thus form one continuous roof from one end of the train to the other, and to so construct these narrow sections of rooting that they shall have an endwise movement, so that they can automatically adjust themselves to the distance between the ends of the cars.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the ends of two cars, showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, shown partly in section.

A represents the ends of two freight-cars of the ordinary construction, and to the tops of which, at a slight distance from their ends, are secured the castings B, which have longitudinal openings through them, and in which openings the shoulders H, which form stops for the ends of the springs, are formed. These castings B are applied near opposite edges of the tops of the cars, so as to be out of the direct line of travel of the brakeman as he walks back and forth upon the tops of the cars of the train. Passing through both of these castings at each end of each car are the ends of the bent supports 0, to which the sectional roofs D are secured. The ends of the bent supports 0 are preferably reduced in size at that point where the springs F are applied to them inside of the castings 1B, and these ends are screw-threaded, so as to receive the nuts G, which act both as stops to prevent the ends of the support from becoming detached from the castings B and to limit the distance that the supports 0 shall proj ect beyond the ends of the cars. The springs F are held between the shoulders H in the castings B and the enlarged parts or shoulders of the supports, and the tension can be increased or decreased by tightening or loosening the nuts G, as may be desired. By tightening the nuts G the distance that the supports 0 shall project outward beyond the end of the car is regulated at will. These springs F allow the supports (3 a movement in a line with the length of the train, and thus enable the supports to adjust themselves to the width or space between the ends of two adjacent cars. Upon the tops of these supports (3 are secured the sections of roofing D, which may be constructed of any suitable material and made of any width which may be preferred. The supports 0 being made of perforated rods, the roofs D can be socurely clamped or bolted to them. The width of these roofs D should be such that when two of them come together, as shown in Fig. 1, they will just span over the space betweenthe ends of the cars, and thus form one continuous roof from one end of the train to the other.

WVhen the cars are running over uneven or rough roads, it is evident that the ends of the adjoining cars will rock up and down in relation to each other, in which case the platforms would overlap each other and become broken. It will also be apparent that when a loaded and unloaded car are connected together the roof of one would not be level with the roof of the other, and consequently the two roofs overlap, were it not for the angular brackets L, which are applied to the under side of the supports 0. The adjacent vertical portions of these brackets L bear against each other, and as the roofs vibrate up and down from the causes herein stated prevent them from overlapping and becoming damaged.

- forth, springs within the said castings which engage the ends of the rods and force them outward, and a flooring secured to the outer end of the support, of a bracket secured to the under side of the said support at its outer extremity, having a Vertical bearing-surface for engaging a similar bracket upon the roof of the adjacent car, for the purpose shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM P. SETTLES.

Witnesses E. A. GRAoEY, LEONARD BELL. 

